Racing Together Community Day to return as part of Platinum Jubilee celebrations

The fourth Racing Together Community Day will be held on May 5 and will be themed around the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which she celebrated on Sunday after 70 years of service.

The last Racing Together Community Day took place in 2019 when more than 250 people from the industry volunteered in excess of 1,500 hours.

John Blake, CEO of Racing Together, said: “We are excited to relaunch Racing Together Community Day for Thursday, May 5 following a challenging two years for the sport and wider society.

"We know during this time that racing organisations did not forget about their communities and in many cases, even more was done to help alleviate local needs, open up resources and venues and to support the most vulnerable affected by the pandemic.

“Racing’s national day of volunteering is another opportunity for teams to come together again and support causes within the communities where racing operates, and of course to combine this with Jubilee celebrations.

"We look forward to supporting and showcasing racing people’s creative and enthusiastic response to this call to action.”

To find out more, visit: or contact lucy@racingtogether.co.uk

Sir Anthony McCoy to feature at charity Cheltenham preview

Sir Anthony McCoy will be the special guest at a unique fundraising event and Cheltenham preview evening next month in aid of the Lord Mayor’s Appeal and the Injured Jockeys Fund.

McCoy will provide insight into the Cheltenham Festival with Sky Sports Racing presenter Hayley Moore acting as MC for the event on March 1, while a silent auction will also take place during the evening at the Mansion House in the City of London.

Last year, Vincent Keaveny, a commercial lawyer, was appointed the 693rd Lord Mayor and in doing so became the first Irishman to hold the post, which stretches back to the 12th century.

He said: “I am thrilled to be hosting this charity event alongside Sir AP McCoy. This is our first fundraising event for the appeal in 2022 and I am sure it is going to be an exciting one, made even more fun by having racing royalty with us on the night.”

The money raised from tickets and the auctions will go to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, National Numeracy, Place2Be, OnSide and the Samaritans, while a portion of the proceeds will also go to the IJF.

There are limited tables and tickets for the evening still available, for further information or any queries, contact or visit .

Funeral of trainer Mick Ryan to take place on February 23

The funeral of Classic-winning trainer Mick Ryan will take place at St Mary's Church in Newmarket at noon on Wednesday February 23.

There will then be a burial at Newmarket cemetery followed by a reception at the town's Heath Court Hotel, one of Ryan's favourite venues, from 1pm.

Ryan, whose finest hour was preparing Katies to win the Irish 1,000 Guineas in 1984, died in West Suffolk Hospital at Bury St Edmunds last Thursday aged 80.

Any donations should be sent to Southgate Funeral Directors, Duchess Drive, Newmarket, Suffolk.

O'Donnell takes over as IHRB chairman

Martin O’Donnell was confirmed on Friday as the new chairman of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board.

As had been previously reported, O’Donnell succeeds Harry McCalmont, who served two years in the role. A chartered valuation surveyor, O’Donnell has been a member of the Turf Club since 2009 and acted as vice-chairman of the board during McCalmont’s tenure. He is also a senior steward of the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee having been a member of that entity since 2005.

O’Donnell was joined at his first board meeting as chairman on Thursday by new board members former Chief Justice Franke Clarke and Myles O’Malley, who replace McCalmont and John Power.

The IHRB remains without a chief executive following Denis Egan’s decision to take early retirement last September. Cliodhna Guy, the regulator’s head of licensing, legal and compliance, is currently serving as interim chief executive.